Stephen Torton is an American artist and photographer. Born in 1957 in Brooklyn, New York he has collaborated with a number of artists, the most widely known being Jean-Michel Basquiat, with whom he worked closely during the early 1980s.[1]

Working as Basquiat's assistant, he built unique sculptural frames with pieces of wood sticking out.[2] He also took many iconic photographs of Basquiat that have helped to define the artist's public image[3][4]

Torton was interviewed by Elodie Maillot for Radio France in 2013:

"the mythical 3rd street where Basquiat lived and painted, how much Basquiat represents New York, his taste for mixtures even in his clothes, his character both open and closed."[5]

In a 2020 documentary by Béatrice Leca, Torton described his time as Basquiat's assistant in New York and the cultural milieu of the 1980s New York art scene:

"It's the early 1980s, they're twenty, some not yet, they've traveled, some in Europe, some on the street. They meet by chance: same clubs, same neighborhoods, same drugs. They leave each other, find each other again, they search alone - they invent the culture of this decade. Among them, Jean-Michel Basquiat, or John Lurie, or Esther Balint, or Jim Jarmusch, or Madonna, or Toxic, or Rammellzee. Among them, heroin, art, hip-hop, racism, Miles Davis, crazy celebrity, money. Among them, Stephen Torton." [6]

Authentication of Basquiat's unsigned works

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Due to his familiarity with the construction and productions of much of Basquiat's art, Torton is considered an authority on the authenticity of Basquiat's unsigned works.[7][8]

Filmography

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  • Empty Space is Never-wasted Space[film](1980), directed by Stephen Torton
  • Watched Being Watched [film](1982), directed by Stephen Torton[9]
  • Stranger Than Paradise[film](1984), directed by Jim Jarlmush
  • Fishing With John [tv show](1991), creator John Lurie
  • Force of Circumstance [film](1990), directed by Liza Bear
  • Paradise now - Journal d'une femme en crise [film](2004), directed by Yolande Zauberman

References

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